Easter 2026 — Holy Week guide, family devotion, and printable bundle
Easter 2026 fell on Sunday, April 5. Western Christian churches (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Reformed, evangelical) and Eastern Orthodox churches observed Holy Week leading up to the central feast of the Christian year — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Eastern Orthodox Pascha was a week later, on April 12, due to the different paschal calculation used by Orthodox tradition.
This Easter 2026 page holds the year's complete Easter resources: the Holy Week day-by-day calendar, the family devotion plan we recommend, the Sunday school workflow we used in our home parish, and links to every Easter coloring page in our catalog suitable for the 2026 season.
Easter 2026 — key dates
The 2026 paschal calendar across major traditions:
Western Christian dates (Catholic, Protestant)
- Ash Wednesday: February 18, 2026 — beginning of Lent
- Palm Sunday: March 29, 2026
- Maundy Thursday: April 2, 2026
- Good Friday: April 3, 2026
- Holy Saturday: April 4, 2026
- Easter Sunday: April 5, 2026
- Divine Mercy Sunday (Catholic): April 12, 2026
- Ascension Thursday: May 14, 2026 (or transferred to Sunday May 17 in some dioceses)
- Pentecost: May 24, 2026
- Trinity Sunday: May 31, 2026
- Corpus Christi: June 4, 2026 (or Sunday June 7)
Eastern Orthodox dates
- Great Lent begins: February 23, 2026 (Clean Monday)
- Lazarus Saturday: April 4, 2026
- Palm Sunday (Orthodox): April 5, 2026
- Holy Thursday (Orthodox): April 9, 2026
- Holy Friday (Orthodox): April 10, 2026
- Pascha (Orthodox Easter): April 12, 2026
For 2026, the Western and Eastern Easter dates were one week apart — a relatively close convergence. (In some years, they can differ by up to five weeks.)
Holy Week day-by-day guide
For families wanting structured devotion through the week, here's the rhythm:
Palm Sunday (March 29, 2026)
Read Matthew 21:1-11 or John 12:12-19. Color the Triumphal Entry page (Jesus on the donkey, crowds with palm branches). Discussion: "Why did the people lay down palm branches? What were they celebrating?"
Many parishes distribute blessed palms at Palm Sunday Mass. Save your palm to display at home for the week.
Holy Monday through Holy Wednesday
Read the temple cleansing (Matthew 21:12-17), the teaching parables (Matthew 21-25), and Judas's betrayal arrangement (Matthew 26:14-16). One brief reading per day. Color a parable page (the Wise and Foolish Virgins works well — Matthew 25:1-13).
Maundy Thursday (April 2, 2026)
Read John 13 (the foot washing) and Matthew 26:17-30 (the institution of the Eucharist). Attend the Mass of the Lord's Supper if Catholic, or the Maundy Thursday service if Protestant. Color the Last Supper page as the take-home keepsake.
Good Friday (April 3, 2026)
A day of solemn observance. Catholic and many Protestant traditions hold a Good Friday service in the afternoon (often 12 noon to 3 PM, marking the hours of Jesus on the cross). The Catholic tradition observes strict fasting and abstinence. Many families pray the Stations of the Cross — see our Stations of the Cross bundle.
Holy Saturday (April 4, 2026)
A quiet day of waiting. The Easter Vigil begins after sundown at most Catholic parishes — the longest and most beautiful Mass of the year. Many adult catechumens are baptized at the Vigil.
Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026)
The most joyful day of the Christian year. Color the empty tomb page. Attend the Easter Mass or Easter Sunday service. Celebrate with family.
Family devotion plan for Holy Week 2026
For families wanting to mark each day of Holy Week with intention:
Daily rhythm (10-15 minutes per day)
- Light a candle (representing Christ's presence)
- Read the day's scripture passage aloud
- Color the day's coloring page from our Easter bundle
- Discuss the day's theme briefly
- Pray a brief prayer relevant to the day
Materials needed
- Our Easter Holy Week printable bundle (download free)
- Crayons or colored pencils
- A Bible (NIV, NLT, ESV, KJV, or any translation your family uses)
- A candle and matches
- A binder or folder to collect the colored pages
Closing on Easter Sunday
Assemble the 8 colored pages into a Holy Week booklet. Discuss the journey through the week. The booklet becomes a permanent record of Holy Week 2026 family devotion.
Easter 2026 Sunday school workflow
For Catholic CCD and Protestant Sunday school teachers, the recommended Easter rotation:
Palm Sunday (March 29)
Standard Sunday school class — color the Palm Sunday page, read the Triumphal Entry, discuss what Hosanna means.
No regular class March 30 - April 4
Most parishes don't have Sunday school during Holy Week itself. Families do devotion at home.
Easter Sunday (April 5)
Easter Sunday school class — color the empty tomb page, read Matthew 28 or John 20, sing Easter hymns. Often abbreviated for Easter Mass schedule.
Lent 2026 reflection (looking back)
For Catholic and Anglican users observing Lent 2026, the 40 days from Ash Wednesday (February 18) through Holy Saturday (April 4) offered opportunities for:
- Daily Lenten coloring — see our Lent calendar for 40-day printable
- Stations of the Cross — Friday devotions at parishes throughout Lent
- Sacrifice and almsgiving — the traditional Lenten disciplines
- Catechumens preparing for Easter Vigil baptism — RCIA programs
Post-Easter 2026 — the 50 days of Eastertide
Easter is not just one Sunday — it's a 50-day season:
- Easter Octave (April 5-12): the eight days of the Easter feast
- Divine Mercy Sunday (April 12): the Sunday after Easter
- Easter Tuesdays and weekdays: distinctive prayers and readings
- Ascension (May 14): Jesus returns to heaven
- Pentecost (May 24): the Holy Spirit descends, the Church is born
Each of these post-Easter days has dedicated content in our Easter section.
Easter 2026 - what we published
Specifically for Easter 2026, we published:
- The Holy Week day-by-day bundle (8 pages)
- The Stations of the Cross full set (14 pages)
- The Lent calendar (40 daily pages)
- The Easter Vigil bundle (for Saturday night observance)
- The Divine Mercy bundle (for the Sunday after Easter)
- Pentecost bundle (for May 24)
All free under our standard license, available throughout the season.
Looking ahead to Easter 2027
Easter 2027 will fall on March 28, 2027 — an earlier Easter than 2026. Sunday school teachers should plan accordingly. We'll publish updated Easter 2027 content during early 2027 with the same Holy Week structure.
— Sarah Mitchell, Christian Education Editor
